UPDATE: The opening of the new North Penn Legal Services office at 33 N. Main St. in Pittston has been delayed. The Scranton and Wilkes-Barre offices will remain open for the time being, and North Penn's intake line - 877-953-4250 - also remains operational.

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North Penn Legal Services is merging its Scranton and Wilkes-Barre offices into a new office located at 33 North Main Street, Suite 200, in Pittston, PA, effective September 9, 2013. All of the program phone and fax numbers will be the same until September 30. The merger is taking place after a year of planning to conserve program resources.

North Penn will maintain its current staffing levels and continue to offer services to low-income clients in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties.

Although the staff from the two offices will be relocated to Pittston, NPLS states that this move in no way affects its commitment to working with partners in the local communities. NPLS staff will be just as present in the courts, at bar functions, and at local agency meetings in order to carry out the agency mission. NPLS, on behalf of its staff and its clients, also expresses gratitude for the support received from the counties, courts, bar associations and individual organizations who have worked with them at the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre locations over the years.

The new Pittston office will be the hub of NPLS's computer network for all of NPLS’ offices. As such, it will be necessary for NPLS to close its intake line from August 28 through September 11 as part of the trasition. The intake line will reopen on September 12.

NPLS's other local offices will be open during this transition time. If you need to reach an advocate at any of the other locations, call the office directly. The North Penn local office directory is avaialable on the North Penn Legal Services website.

NPLS's second office in Luzerne County which serves low-income people in the Hazleton area will remain open. Clients can call 877-515-7195 to reach this office directly.

For more information visit the North Penn Legal Services website at www.northpennlegal.org.